National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL)

Kudos to Boston University for being named to the Princeton Review’s 2025 Mental Health Services Honor Roll. ? This honor speaks to the commitment BU has made to prioritize mental health and wellness as integral parts of the student experience. ? Congratulations to Dr. Judy Platt and Dr. Kara Cattani, whose leadership and vision have been instrumental in driving this initiative forward.?

In a recent interview with ProPublica, NEIDL Director Nancy J Sullivan emphasized that basic research is the foundation on which all medical treatments are built. From the article: Nancy Sullivan, a former senior investigator at NIAID, said that NIAID’s power is its ability to invest in a broad understanding of human health. "It’s the basic research that allows us to develop treatments," she said. "You never know which part of fundamental research is going to be the lynchpin for curing a disease or defining a disease so you know how to treat it," she said. Sullivan should know: It was her work at NIAID that led four years ago to the first approved treatment for Ebola.

Congratulations to the NEIDL’s Dr. Florian Douam on winning a Rajen Kilachand Fund for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering award! ? His project, co-led with Boston University’s Dr. Wilson Wong, seeks to mitigate the limitations of mRNA vaccines and antibodies by bringing together three technologies recently developed at Boston University, including: a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), an automated nanobody screening platform, and computational tools for predicting RNA function. ? This award exemplifies the NEIDL's commitment to advancing global health through innovative, interdisciplinary research. Learn more about the project and Douam’s co-investigators:?https://spr.ly/6007s3tAF

A heartfelt thank you to CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) for hosting the CEPI Laboratory Research & Innovations AMN Preclinical Laboratory Network In-person Meeting. It’s an honor to collaborate with colleagues to share new approaches and research that will help us accelerate the development of vaccines and respond to pandemic threats. ??: Nancy J Sullivan, Janina Hutchens, Javier Castillo-Olivares, Trevor Brasel, Amy C. Shurtleff, PhD, Carolyn Clark, Luz Hermida, Hilary Staples, Corey Nunes, Juan Ignacio Moliva, Ph.D.

“The NEIDL is in a new phase of scientific growth,” says NEIDL Director Nancy J Sullivan. “Growing the NEIDL delivers new opportunities for collaboration across BU departments, as well as increasing opportunities for sponsored research, including with biopharma.” Learn more about how the NEIDL will use the $7.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to broaden our impact and expand our capabilities. Via Boston University

A study published recently in Science Translational Medicine finds a new therapeutic approach to controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection that attacks all COVID variants and prevents the generation of new variants in the patient. The findings are a result of collaboration between researchers at the NIH-Vaccine Research Center, ModeX Therapeutics Inc, and the NEIDL, including Dr. Nancy J Sullivan and Dr. Gary Nabel, co- senior authors, and Dr. John Misasi, lead author. ? The therapeutic approach combines several antibodies into a single “multispecific antibody” that targets multiple surfaces of vulnerability on the SARS-CoV-2 outer protein, recognizes evolving COVID variants, and constrains the virus’s ability to escape the therapy. The study also showed that the multispecific antibody could provide prophylactic protection against a set of Omicron variants. Read the full paper here: https://bit.ly/3NxdgKU

As National Postdoc Appreciation Week wraps up, we want to take a moment to celebrate the NEIDL’s talented Postdocs. We couldn’t be prouder of your hard work and dedication. Your contributions drive the field of infectious disease research forward and will impact public health for generations to come.

We are excited to announce that NEIDL competed successfully for a $7.5 million construction grant (C06) from the The National Institutes of Health (NIH). This generous funding will be crucial in expanding our capabilities to address both current and future research needs. The NEIDL provides our investigators with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to continue their high consequence infectious disease research. The C06 grant will enhance the NEIDL's flexibility and optimize efficiency, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of research and pandemic readiness.

A new type of RNA could revolutionize vaccines and cancer treatments. An accidental discovery turned into an unexpected success when a team of interdisciplinary Boston University researchers, including the NEIDL's Florian Douam, created a new and improved COVID vaccine. Read more: https://spr.ly/6000WYzG8 Via Boston University Experts

Eastern equine encephalitis, more commonly known as EEE, is caused by a virus spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While only a few cases are reported in the United States each year, EEE can cause serious health problems, including neurological disorders and even death. As news of mosquito born diseases spreads, the urgency is clear: we must continue to anticipate, detect, study, and respond to vector-born diseases.?